Prison of Scales
by Writertainer
Summary: It should have been over. They should have been able to return to their normal lives. And yet, here he was, with the body of a monster. How could he ever return to a normal life while looking like this? How could he make people smile when he looked so hideous? And how could he show himself to her when his very image repulsed him? Fruitshipping.
1. The Scales of a Monster

**Oh. My. Zarc. I can't believe it.**

 **I actually posted a new story, and it didn't take me a whole month! 'blows party horn'**

 **But seriously, welcome to my new story, Prison of Scales! One that will hopefully make you feel something, since this story is my first attempt at a Hurt/Comfort story, and something that isn't a one-shot. Then again, this is just the first chapter and I wanted to take it slow, so maybe I'm worrying for nothing.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V, its characters or the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG/OCG. This story is non-profit.**

* * *

"Wake up! Big brother, wake up!"

In the central courtyard of Academia, Reira Akaba was shaking his brother, Reiji Akaba, who was currently unconscious and face-down on the grass. He continued until the older boy finally stirred and turned his head towards him.

"Reira?"

"Big brother!"

Now fully awake, Reiji moved into a crouching position, still feeling too disoriented to stand up. Closing his eyes in order to get his bearings straight, he asked his brother the first question that was on his mind, "What happened?"

"Ray won!" was Reira's answer.

"Ray?" Reiji said, confused, until he realised what Reira was talking about. He then remembered everything that had occurred.

It was finally over…

After a long and difficult battle that transcended the dimensions, the Supreme King Dragon Zarc had been defeated once more. His soul had found peace in his Duel with Ray Akaba, whose feelings, along with those of her fragments, had succeeded in reaching the Demon Duelist, and freed him from the hatred and madness that had taken hold of his heart.

After her victory, Ray had split the dimensions using her bracelets, as well as Zarc and herself, back into four fragments. This time, however, they would never return. Ray did not leave parts of her soul into her fragments, and neither did Zarc in his, instead choosing to cross over into the great beyond, instead choosing to rest.

Remembering the carnage that Zarc had caused, his first concern was to check if his little brother was injured. Turning to him and putting his hands on the younger boy's shoulders he asked, "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. What about you?" Reira replied.

"I'm uninjured," Reiji answered with a small smile. He looked around to see the remainder of the Lancers, as well as their comrades, waking and helping each other up. They were all accounted for, all except...

"Where's Yuya?" Reiji asked to no one in particular.

Everyone stopped what they were doing. Looking around, one could find no trace of the goggle-wearing boy. Naturally, this had a few of them panicking, thinking that maybe Yuya hadn't survived, that Ray hadn't been successful in splitting herself and Zarc again. Those worries were somewhat alleviated, however, when instead of Yuya, Edo found Yugo unconscious at the other end of the courtyard.

"If he's here, then Yuya and Yuto must be somewhere," Shun theorized. Sora, who was being carried on Shun's back, added, "If that's true, Yuzu and the other girls must also be around here. But that also means Yuri's out there too. We have to find them quickly."

Reiji nodded in agreement. While finding Yuya and the girls were a priority, letting Yuri remain at large could be very dangerous. "In that case, we should split up. If you find any of them, contact me on your Duel Disk. However, if you find Yuri, make sure you first take his Duel Disk, restrain him if you can and keep a close eye on him. Once all of them have been found, I'll contact everyone and we'll regroup here." He then looked at Shun, "Kurosaki, you head for the throne room. I have a feeling that's where we'll find the girls."

"I know how to get there. Just follow my directions," Sora added.

Shun nodded and then left, hoping to find his sister and his best friend.

"I'm coming too!" Yugo, who had been woken up by Edo and Kaito, said as he ran past Reiji.

"Let's go, Reira."

"Yes."

And with that, everyone began their search for Yuya and the others.

* * *

Yuto awoke in a dark room filled with rubble. He did not know where he exactly he was, only that he was somewhere in Academia. He began rubbing his eyes with his arm to help himself wake up, but stopped shortly after. For some strange reason, the feeling felt foreign to him. It took a few seconds of thinking before his eyes widened as he came to a shocking realization.

He had a body. He had his own body again.

Before he had time to rejoice, however, his thoughts went to Yuya, whom he had shared a body with for the longest time. What happened to him now that Yuto had regained his body?

"Yuya!" he called as he looked inside the pitch-black room. He called again and again, until he heard a groan. Snapping his head in the direction of the sound, his eyes landed on a familiar head of green and red. "Yuya!" he called once more as ran towards his friend, relieved that he was alright.

Or so he thought.

His expression slowly shifted to one of concern, growing more and more worried with every step he took, and became utter denial by the time he had arrived to Yuya's side. He didn't want to believe the sight that was in front of him. He did not want to believe that this was Yuya. But he could not deny what was right in front of him.

Not after he saw the familiar pair of red eyes that could only belong to the entertainer.

"Yuto?" Yuya said, unsure if he was seeing things. He stood up and looked more closely at his Xyz counterpart, then smiled.

"Yuto! You have your body back! That's awesome!" he said to the boy, "Although, I don't remember you being shorter than me."

"Yuya... You..." The Xyz user could not think of anything to say.

"What's wrong, Yuto?" Yuya asked, confused. He also noted a strange stiffness he felt in his back.

When Yuto did not answer, Yuya began reaching out to him with his hand...

Only for him to freeze when he saw a clawed one that was far too pale to be his instead.

"W-What?" His breath caught in his throat as the shock of seeing a hand that wasn't his own made him pull it back to his chest. The contact sent a terrible dread throughout his body. It was rough. The feeling of his hand against his chest was rough. It didn't feel like human skin, it felt like...

 _Scales._

It was then that Yuya looked down and came to the horrifying realization that the hand he had seen had indeed been his own, and that the rest of his body had shared a similar fate.

Yuya's heart was beating at an increasing rate. His breathing was becoming more erratic as he wandered his hands across his chest, trying to convince himself that this was just some sick nightmare. They moved to his face, hoping to not feel something other then the scaly sensation, but it was in vain. He felt something move against his back and as he turned his head to investigate, he understood what that stiff sensation he felt earlier had been. He had grown two wings, black as the moonless night.

"No... This-this isn't real... I'm not-I don't-I look like...like..."

 _A monster._ Yuya looked like a _monster._

His scream of despair echoed across the empty halls...

* * *

 **And this is my very first cliff-hanger.**

 **This story was inspired by a drawing by Justanotherotakuandartist on Tumblr, also known as TheShadowgirls on deviantart. The drawing is Yuzu crying as she hugs Dragon Yuya, though technically it's Zarc, and he's not too happy.**

 **The first thing it did was make this pop into my mind: Dragonfruitshipping. Dragonfruits are real fruits, by the way.**

 **The second was the idea that led to this story. What if Yuya's body remained that way?**

 **This will mostly focus on Yuya's feelings throughout the ordeal, alongside the feelings of some of his friends as they try to keep his spirits up. And of course, there will be Dragonfruitshipping.**

 **Reviews, constructive criticism and identifying my spelling/writing errors are all welcome and appreciated.**

 **-Writertainer**


	2. Imprisoned in one's self

**Hey everyone! Welcome back to Prison of Scales!**

 **Thank you for your reviews in the first chapter! I'm happy that you all find my story interesting! The first half of this chapter contains a bit of Appleshipping, and it gave me an idea for a one-shot for my Fruit Basket collection, so there's that for you guys.**

 **Also, special thanks to the wonderful CorrineTheAnime for helping me with the usage of quotes.**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V, its characters or the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG/OCG. This story is non-profit.**

* * *

Academia's throne room, once a symbol of supreme authority in the Fusion Dimension, had become nothing more than a pile of rubble. Amidst the ruins, lay the four unconscious fragments of Ray. The first to stir was the pink-haired girl of the Standard Dimension, Yuzu Hiiragi.

Opening her eyes, she was met with the sight of a destroyed Arc-V. That alone was enough to tell her that everything was over. Leo Akaba's ambitions, which had hurt so many people, had finally been put to an end. She looked around to find Serena and the rest of her counterparts around her.

"Serena! Everyone, wake up!"

The sound of Yuzu's voice was enough to wake all three of them up.

"Yuzu?" said the tired voice of Serena.

"Thank goodness you're alright," Yuzu said to her friend. A short distance away, Ruri and Rin were helping each other up. As soon as they got up, the doors to the throne room opened to reveal a panting teenager in a white riding suit. His blue eyes locked with the golden ones of his childhood friend.

"Rin..." he called out, his eyes on the verge of tears.

"Yugo..." she called back, warmth and relief spreading through her body.

No more words were said as the two of them ran forward into an embrace, both wanting to feel the warmth of the others body, to confirm to themselves that this was real. The other occupants of the room could only smile at the reunion of the two Synchro Duelists. As the two of them clung to each other, afraid the other might disappear, another pair of footsteps echoed inside the massive room. Turning back towards the doors, Yuzu was met with the sight of Shun and Sora, who Shun had let down after the smaller boy had assured him he was fine enough to walk on his own again.

"Sora!" she called as she ran over to the shorter boys side, "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I've had worse," Sora replied nonchalantly with a smile, indicating he was fine.

"Big brother!" another voice called out. Next to her was Ruri, who had jumped into the arms of Shun, who returned the hug, "I'm so happy that you're alright!" she said, tearful that her brother was safe.

"I'm glad you are as well," was his reply. Though he may not show it openly, he was overjoyed that his little sister was safe. Now they could return to Heartland and to a more normal life.

"Brother, where's Yuto?"

The mention of Yuto had Yuzu's mind go straight to thoughts of Yuya. Was he alright? The last time she had seen him, he was chained to a pillar trying to fight back against Zarc's influence. Fortunately for her, Shun answered her unasked question.

"Kaito and the others are currently looking for him and Yuya, don't worry," he then pulled out his Duel Disk, "which reminds me, I have to tell Reiji Akaba that we've found you. Maybe someone's already found Yuto too."

He then made the call to Reiji, and only a few seconds later did the CEO's face appear on the screen.

"This is Reiji. Have you found anyone?"

"Yes, Ruri and the others were in the throne room, just as you assumed. Did anyone find Yuto?"

"Not yet, he and Yuya are the only ones that remain to be found," just as the CEO finished, he heard a sound coming from deeper in the school, "I just heard something. I'll call you when everyone has been found," and with that, the call ended.

"I hope Yuya is alright..." Yuzu said.

"Don't worry. Yuya's strong, so I'm sure he's alright," Serena said, having kept quiet before so as to not ruin the others moments.

"I hope you're right..." Yuzu said, but for some reason she wasn't convinced. They were all okay, and Yugo didn't look injured or anything of the sort, so it stands to reason that both Yuya and Yuto should be fine.

So why did she have the feeling that something was horribly wrong?

* * *

Reiji and Reira were running in the direction they heard the sound. Eventually, they arrived at a single door. As they approached it, Reiji began to hear two people's screams. Both voices were familiar, but faces escaped him at the moment. When they were a few feet away from the door, however, he could clearly hear what one of them was screaming.

"YUYA!"

Hearing the name of his rival had Reiji quickly open the door...

Only to witness Yuya covered in grey scales screaming and panicking, with Yuto trying to restrain him.

The sight made the normally collected CEO's blood run cold. Why had Yuya's body not returned to normal? Why was his friend still disfigured even after Zarc's disappearance? Reira was just as horrified as his brother, perhaps even more so. The poor boy had seen many horrible things in his life, but the sight of Yuya's form thrashing about, yelling out in despair and anguish, had the younger Akaba in tears. Yuya's pain, his sorrow... it was unbearable.

"YUYA!" Reira yelled as he ran towards him, hoping that he could help him in any way.

Seeing Reira run towards the two teenagers brought Reiji back from his stupor and follow him. He had to help Yuto calm Yuya first and foremost.

It was a difficult task for the both of them to restrain Yuya. The draconic form's muscles meant that he was now much stronger physically than them both, with Yuto almost getting a black-eye out of the ordeal. The best they could do was to use their body weight to pin him to the wall, and even then they were struggling to keep him still. All Reira could do was hold onto his leg, pleading and crying for him to stop. Luckily, his movements were becoming less and less forceful and his screams started dying down.

Before long, Yuya was sliding down the wall, panting before bringing his head to his legs. Yuto and Reiji let him go now that they were sure that he had calmed down. A few minutes passed in silence, everyone trying to gather their thoughts on the situation.

"Have you calmed down?" Reiji was the first to break the silence. All he received was a nod from the teenage Duelist.

"Do you need some time alone?" Yuto asked, concerned for his Standard counterpart. This time, the entertainer shook his head.

"Yuzu and the other girls have been found, and they are all safe." Reiji's words had caught the attention of Yuya and Yuto, who were both relieved to hear that they were unharmed.

"Yuzu..." The thought of her was enough to give Yuya the smallest of smiles.

"That's great, Yuya! Let's hurry up and go see them!" his Xyz counterpart said, hoping to get Yuya to cheer up. Unfortunately...

"I can't..."

His expression changed from relief at Ruri and Yuzu's safety to one of concern and confusion for his friend. "Yuya?" Shouldn't he be happy to get to see her again?

"I can't see her looking like this. I can't let her see me looking like some monster." Looking at his clawed hands, he added, "I can't hold her with these hands–these _claws_ –I'll only hurt her. I don't want to hurt her. I don't want to make her cry. I don't want to see her cry..." With every word he said, more tears ran down his face. "Am I going to remain like this for the rest of my life? Will I ever be able to see her again?" The last thought was simply too much for him.

It was at this moment that Yuto truly started to understand Yuya's newfound struggle. There was no way he could show himself to anyone looking like this, it would only cause trouble and unwanted attention to him. There was no possibility he could perform his Entertainment Dueling, he would only scare his audience, or even worse, they would ridicule him. The two of them may have been freed from Zarc's hold on their hearts, but because of his actions, his Standard counterpart had more than just his body taken from him, he had also lost his chance at living a normal life, at being able to do what he wanted. As long as he looked like this, no matter what he did, no matter where he was...

Yuya would be a _prisoner_ in his own body.

As the Xyz Duelist watched his friend pour out his sorrows, a confident voice broke through the silent atmosphere.

"You will."

Yuya's crying momentarily stopped when he heard Reiji's words. Looking up, he witnessed his rival standing before him, a determined expression on his face. Crouching down to look at Yuya dead in the eye and putting his hands on his shoulders, he said to him in the most confident way he could, "You will get to see her again, because I'm going to find a way to turn your body back to normal."

"Reiji..."

"I don't know how long it will take but I swear to you, I WILL find a way to fix this," he then pulled out Yuya's Pendulum and showed it to its owner, "so don't give up and believe in me."

Yuya said nothing. All he did was stare at his swaying Pendulum.

* * *

 **Something this show has taught me, aside from how to foreshadow, is that things are never that simple.**

 **So this chapter is basically a continuation of the first. Chapter 3 is when the real bulk of the story will start, so it may take a while before it is posted. Because of this, I've been thinking of merging the two chapters into one. What do you guys think?**

 **Reviews, constructive criticism and identifying my spelling/writing errors are all welcome and appreciated.**

 **-Writertainer**


	3. Isolation

**Welcome back to Prison of Scales!**

 **Well, this is Chapter 3. As I said before, the real bulk starts now, but what I meant by bulk, I meant "idea", so this chapter being longer had nothing to do with that, though I will try to make them a bit longer. Unless you guys are fine with the current length.**

 **Special thanks to Shimmering-Sky for helping me with designing a VIP room. You'll get what I mean.**

 **With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V, its characters or the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG/OCG. This story is non-profit.**

* * *

Yuzu and the others had just arrived at the central courtyard after receiving word from Reiji that everyone had been found. Throughout the whole walk to their destination, she could not shake away the feeling of worry that had been growing inside of her, the fear that something had happened to Yuya. Her worries only got worse when she didn't see her friend in the courtyard.

"Yuzu!"

She followed the direction of the voice to see Gongenzaka waving at her with one arm, the other busy holding an unconscious Yuri over his shoulder. She was happy to see that him and thus ran over to him.

"Gongenzaka! I'm so relieved!" she said as she hugged him, before looking over his wounds. "Are you alright?"

"These wounds aren't enough to stop the man, Gongenzaka!" he said with a proud smile. "What about you? You don't seem injured."

"Yeah, I'm fine." She then noticed who her friend was carrying. "Isn't that...?"

"Yeah, it's Yuri. Reiji Akaba told us to restrain him when we found him, probably so he doesn't cause any more trouble in the future."

"Even so, be careful. That man is very dangerous."

"Don't worry. He's been unconscious ever since we found him, and Sawatari has his Duel Disk." He then pointed at said duelist, who was currently having what appeared to be a fun conversation with Yugo, before Rin pulled on Yugo's arm and excitedly pointed at Jack Atlas, therefore making him promptly forget about the rich boy and rush over with Rin to meet his hero.

"I see everyone has arrived."

Everyone's attention shifted towards Reiji Akaba, who had just arrived alongside his brother Reira and...

"YUTO!"

The cheerful voice of Ruri broke through the sudden silence as she ran over to him with tears in her eyes.

"Ruri!" Yuto, upon seeing Ruri, also began tearing up. When they were but a few feet apart, Ruri jumped into his arms as he gently wrapped them around her.

"Thank goodness... Thank goodness you're alright!" she cried. When she had been reunited with Shun back in the throne room, Ruri had been afraid that Yuto would still be stuck as a spirit inside of Yuya, so seeing him and hugging him like this was a cathartic feeling for her.

"I'm here, Ruri. I'm here," he comforted her. Hearing the sounds of footsteps, he turned his head to see Shun heading towards him. "Shun." He broke the hug Ruri and he shared and turned to face him.

Shun simply smiled and said, "Welcome back, Yuto," before extending his arm in a fist. Yuto followed suit with a smile of his own, before hitting his fist against Shun's.

"Hold on!"

The heartwarming moment was cut short by Sawatari, who was pointing a finger at Reiji.

"You said everyone was here, right? If that's the case, where's Yuya?"

Hearing those words, Yuto tensed up, and that did not go unnoticed to the Kurosaki siblings.

"Yuto?"

Yuto was trying to hold back his tears. He may have volunteered, but having to tell the bad news to everyone was still difficult for him. It only got worse when he saw Yuzu walked toward him with a worried expression on her face.

"Yuto, what happened to Yuya?" she asked.

"Yuzu... Yuya's... His body is..." Every time he spoke, the feeling of pain in his chest would only get tighter.

"Yuya's body?" Shun and the others pondered on what Yuto was trying to say.

A sharp gasp came from Kaito as a thought occurred to him. "Don't tell me-!"

At that moment, everyone who had fought Zarc, save the girls, who had no recollection of their actions as Ray, figured out what Yuto was trying to say. Their mortified faces only increased Yuzu's worries. What had happened to her best friend that had everyone acting like this!? "Someone, please tell me what going on! What happened to Yuya!?" Tears were beginning to form in her eyes.

Sora and Gongenzaka took it upon themselves to explain to Yuzu what happened to their friend. Sora was the first to speak, "Yuzu, when Zarc was reborn, he was brought back as a giant dragon, and began destroying everything and everyone in sight. Edo and I challenged him to a duel and then-" He stopped for a moment, trying to keep his emotions in check. Seeing this, Gongenzaka continued where Sora left off, "He transformed into a more human-like appearance, but because Zarc was using his body as a host, his new form had many of Yuya's features. Even though you girls defeated Zarc as Ray, it seems-" he took a deep breath, "it seems Yuya's body didn't return to normal."

Yuzu's heart froze when Gongenzaka finished his sentence. She didn't want to believe what they were saying. She turned to Yuto, hoping that what they said wasn't true. That this was all just some sick prank and that Yuya would appear looking like the normal 14-year-old he was.

It was all in vain, however, as Yuto simply closed his eyes, turned his head away from her and whispered,

"I'm sorry..."

"No..." She allowed her tears to flow freely down her face as she tried to come to terms with the reality of it all, at what happened to her childhood friend.

"Where is Yuya right now?" Serena asked.

"He's back in Standard," Reiji answered, having been quiet throughout the whole ordeal.

"C-Can I see him?" Yuzu asked.

"I'm sorry, but you can't."

"What do you mean she can't!?" Yugo screamed at Reiji, and Serena looked ready to join in on the screaming. He may not be sure what everyone was talking about, but he knew enough to know that something bad happened to Yuya. "She's been worried sick about him this entire time, and you're not going to let her see him!?"

"Unfortunately, this is not my decision. Yuya requested that no one be allowed to see him."

"W-What?" That broke Yuzu's heart. Yuya didn't want to see her? He didn't want to see anyone? "W-Why?"

"He's afraid," Yuto said to her. "He doesn't want you to see him like this because he's afraid he'll hurt you."

"Yuya would never hurt me!" she tearfully declared.

"Not intentionally, no. But as he is right now, he's afraid of what he could do." He then pulled out Yuya's Pendulum and presented it to Yuzu. "Here."

"That's..."

"He wants you to have it, and he wants to say sorry for not being here right now, that he misses you..."

Yuzu took the Pendulum from Yuto. She stared at it resting in her palm before closing it and bringing both of her hands to her chest. _'Yuya... I miss you too. Please... let me help you...'_

* * *

Amongst the employees of Leo Corporation, only Reiji's most trusted were allowed to work on and operate the Dimensional Transporter. In addition, its equipment was also capable of picking up signals from other dimensions, to ensure that the Lancers could return to Standard without any problems, so Yuya could return to Standard without any worries of word getting out about his new dragon-like form.

When he arrived, the only other people in the room were a couple of scientists and a man in a business suit with black hair and four gray bangs at the front, all of them shocked by who had come out of the Transporter.

"Mr. Nakajima?" he asked.

"Y-Yes." Nakajima replied, before recognizing who the boy was. "Aren't you Yuya Sakaki?"

The boy merely nodded sadly.

"What happened to you? Does this have anything to do with those wormholes that appeared? Or that giant dragon-"

"I have a video-message from Reiji." Yuya pulled out his Duel Disk and handed it to the assistant, who then pulled up and played the appropriate file as the CEO's face appeared on-screen.

" _This is Reiji Akaba. You must all be wondering why Yuya Sakaki looks this way. I will explain everything in detail once I return to Standard, for now, I want none of you, under any circumstance, to speak of Yuya's condition, even amongst yourselves. Nakajima, you are to take Yuya to one of the guest rooms reserved for VIPs, then return here. The other Lancers and I will be arriving shortly, along with a few others. As I stated before, none of you are to speak about this."_ The recording of Reiji pushed his glasses up and changed his tone to a very serious one. _"Anyone who does will be fired on the spot and unable to work for any subsidiary of Leo Corporation."_ There was a small pause in Reiji's speech to allow the gravity of his threat to sink in. _"However, I do not believe anyone present here will betray my trust, but if you do, I will know. That is all."_

The recording stopped as an uneasy silence fell upon the room. None of the employees had any idea what was going on or the reasons behind their employer's actions.

Nakajima, having regained his composure, was the first to speak up and break the silence, "Very well. Everyone, continue what you were doing and prepare for President Akaba's return." He then turned to Yuya and handed him back his Duel Disk. "Mr. Sakaki, if you would please follow me."

The boy nodded slightly before silently following the CEO's assistant through the long corridors of Leo Duel School's higher floors, his head simply looking down at the floor and his clawed feet the whole time. Occasionally, Nakajima would halt him and wait for the corridors to be empty before moving on, but Yuya would sometimes fail to listen and thus the taller man would roughly pull him back so they would not be seen. After an awkward elevator ride and a few more hallways, the two arrived at the VIP section. Nakajima opened one of the doors and allowed Yuya inside.

The room certainly did look pleasant. To Yuya's right, there was a large couch facing the flat screen television to his right that was almost as big as the one in his room during the Friendship Cup back in the Synchro Dimension, a coffee table in between with a round carpet under it and two sofa chairs on each its sides. The walls were adorned with a few paintings, save for the window wall facing the front door which overlooked much of Maiami City. There was also a small pantry alongside a miniature refrigerator and a microwave near the couch, as well as a small bookshelf on one side of the TV, with door a few feet away on the other. A few potted plants lay in the corners of the room opposed to the glass windows to make the room feel more like a home. Overall, it looked like a very nice place to live in.

"The door to the far left leads to the bedroom, with the bathroom next to it," said Nakajima, before gesturing to the phone next to him. "If you ever need anything, you can use this phone to contact room service should you need anything. We always have people on standby, so don't hesitate to call on our services."

"Okay..." Yuya said in a barely audible tone. Silence fell upon the two before the assistant cleared his throat.

"Is there anything you need, Mr. Sakaki?" he asked.

"No, I'm fine... Thank you, Mr. Nakajima."

The man simply nodded, then closed the door behind him and left.

Yuya simply stood in silence, trying to come to terms with his situation, and how he had to adjust to his new body. Back in the Fusion Dimension, when Yuya and the others left the dark room they were in to find the Dimensional Transporter Academia had, the Entertainment Duelist had actually managed to break the door from its hinges with little effort. He was glad that he didn't hurt his friends too badly when they attempted to restrain him, but his newfound strength only served to reaffirm his decision to isolate himself.

Suddenly feeling very exhausted, Yuya headed towards the bedroom door. He then very carefully gripped the doorknob so as to not bend it, and slowly and gently pushed open the door.

The first thing he noticed was that unlike the living room, the bedroom's glass wall had massive drapes hanging in front of them to offer privacy. Shortly afterwards, his eyes landed on a queen size bed with a nightstand next to it. On it, there was a lamp and a small black remote, which he assumed was for the drapes. Other than that, there was the door that led to the bathroom, a closet, a couple of drawers and-

Yuya's heart stopped cold for a second as he noticed a mirror that was hung over one of said drawers. It wasn't directly facing him, so he didn't see his reflection, but the realization that he could...

Yuya swallowed and began to take small, nervous steps towards the mirror. With every step he took, the more he hesitated, the more he wanted to turn back the other way, and yet, at the same time, a morbid curiosity drove him to keep walking, to know exactly how he looked. Steeling himself for the worst, Yuya took one last step and faced the mirror.

Reflected on the mirrors surface, was the _hideous beast he had become._

Suppressing the urge to look away, he analyzed the beast's– _his_ –features. The wing-like appendages that had grown on the side of his head where his ears should have been, his uneven and scaled torso that mentally reminded him of a ribcage and the spikes that protruded all over his body. His face had something black on it, and upon bringing one arm to his face and touching one, he realized in horror that these black tubes were in fact veins.

There were _veins_ on his _face._

Yuya broke down into tears. He truly wasn't human anymore. He was just a disgusting freak now, a horrible monster that could never hope to bring smiles, only fear.

He was _alone._

* * *

 **I don't know if Dragon Yuya's face actually has veins, but that's what the Wiki said, even though they look more like cracks to me.**

 **Sorry it took so long. I was hit by writer's block, and college just started again. I did make some progress on the other chapters though. Also, because of college, updates may not be very frequent, so I hope you'll be patient with me.**

 **Reviews, constructive criticism and identifying my spelling/writing errors are all welcome and appreciated.**

 **-Writertainer**


	4. Loneliness

**The fourth chapter of Prison of Scales is finally here!**

 **I managed to find enough time to work on this story and this was the end result.**

 **Also, just to let you know, I read all reviews. If I happen to not respond, it's because I can't think of anything to say. So, for all of those who have reviewed but I have not responded, thank you for your comments.**

 **With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V, its characters or the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG/OCG. This story is non-profit.**

* * *

 _Ruins. Carnage. Destruction._

 _No matter where he looked, all he could find was more chaos and despair. Looking down, he saw the fools that dared to oppose him, arrogantly believing they could defeat him._

 _Foolish humans. They had no chance, no hope of victory. He was invincible. He could never be beaten._

 _The sight of these worms who did not know their place offended him, and thus, he opened his massive jaw, and unleashed a massive torrent of power upon them._

 _He laughed at the wonderful screams of pain that followed._

Yuya woke up in a cold sweat, his heart beating loudly against his chest, as if trying to drown out the screams from his dream. That nightmare... it was a memory of his time as Zarc... as well as a reminder of everything he had done, of the pain he had caused.

Maybe that was why he was stuck in this grotesque body, as punishment for the pain he had caused, the people he had harmed.

For going against his philosophy...

His self-loathing paused when he started feeling sore all over once the adrenaline from the nightmare vanished. He remembered crying himself to sleep in a rather discomforting position. How could he feel any comfort when his body was uneven and rough?

Great. Not only was he feeling emotionally uncomfortable in his body, he physically as well.

As he got up to try and soothe the soreness in his muscles, he noticed that the covers of the bed had been shredded all over.

' _Of course it is,'_ he thought bitterly. _'This was made for humans after all, not for demons like me.'_

He realised that he'd have to call room service to ask for new sheets and blankets... and that they would not fare any better than these.

 _Fantastic_. His first day here, and he was already a bother.

* * *

Everyone had traveled to the Standard Dimension, aside from Jack, who returned to the City to help with the reform it was undergoing, Kaito, who wanted to rebuild his hometown Heartland, and Edo, who stayed in the Fusion Dimension to help Reiji find a way to return the people who had been carded. Reiji was currently briefing his employees on Leo Corporation's future endeavors in healing the damage done by the Dimensional War, as well as the situation with Yuya.

Yuzu sat in silence, staring at Yuya's Pendulum in her hand as she tried to come to terms with what was happening. Gongenzaka, who had given the still unconscious Yuri to a medical team, was sitting next to her and watching her. It was clear to everyone that she was deeply affected by the news, more than any of them, but he knew that what truly hurt her was that Yuya didn't want to see her, or rather, that she couldn't see him.

The Steadfast Duelist was frustrated at the situation. His two friends had gone through so much apart, both fighting in the hopes they would eventually be reunited, and yet, even though the fighting was brought to a close, they still remained apart. Part of him was disappointed in Yuya for choosing to avoid Yuzu after seeing how determined he was to find her, but in the end, he also understood his best friends decision.

Yuya had always been insecure, and those insecurities had only amplified after his father's disappearance. Now that his body looked the way it did, Gongenzaka couldn't even begin to imagine how frightened he must feel.

His first instinct was to go find Yuya and encourage him anyway he could, just as he did in the past, but he felt inadequate for the problem at hand. Gongenzaka had always been good at supporting Yuya. Through his Steadfast Dueling, whether as an ally or an enemy, he would always try to push the performer to do his best, and then beyond that. When he was being bullied, he would serve as a shield. But this time, he was at a loss. He had no idea what to do for him.

What he could do is be there for his other best friend, Yuzu.

Said girl had barely said anything ever since they returned to Standard.

"Yuzu, be strong. Reiji will surely find a way to restore Yuya's original body," he said, solemnly, yet hopeful.

The pink-haired didn't make any sign of hearing him, and thus remained silent.

"Why..?"

Tears fell as she uttered this one single word. A simple word that carried so many questions, and yet, none had a true answer.

"I don't get it, Gongenzaka. Why must Yuya continue to be hurt?" she started shaking, "Why must he continue to suffer even after Zarc's soul disappeared from him? All he wants to do is make other people smile, so why can't he be allowed the same!? WHY!? WHY DOES HE HAVE TO GO THROUGH ALL OF THIS!?"

Gongenzaka brought her into a comforting hug, letting her release all of the sadness and frustration she was feeling. "W-Why does Y-Yuya *hic* not want to see me? Why-*hic* why can't I be there for him?"

Yuzu continued crying on her friend's shoulder, as he continued to hug her in silence. He truly was disappointed in Yuya for making her cry...

But he was even more disappointed in himself for being unable to do anything about it.

Minutes went by before her tears ceased, yet the pain in her heart had hardly subsided. Looking back at the Pendulum in her hand she remembered all the times she had spent with Yuya. All the times he genuinely smiled, all the laughs they shared, all the duels they had. Those memories were but a momentary comfort, however, as they were soon replaced with the fear that those moments would never happen again.

"Hey."

Looking up, she saw Sora and the others, except for Reiji, his brother, and Kurosaki, standing in the doorway.

"Reiji just finished his briefing. He says he's going to work immediately," Yuto said.

"Oh..." was her response.

"Not feeling any better, huh?" Yugo asked with a sad look.

She shook her head.

"You know what would make you feel better?" Serena asked.

"Some girl time with the three of us!" Rin finished.

"Huh? Oh, I'm not sure I feel up to it..."

"At least give it a try! After all, it's during the toughest time that you need to smile!" Ruri said.

Yuzu's surprise from hearing the words of Yuya's father, Yusho, from Ruri, brought out a feeling of nostalgia inside of her, numbing away the pain. Seeing the new expression on her face, all three of Yuzu's counterparts began dragging her away from the room. "HUH!? Hey, what are you guys doing!?" she asked startled.

They said nothing as they left with the unwilling pink-haired girl.

The other occupants of the word were looking at the closed door the girls had exited from in silence.

"Well... That happened," Sawatari said.

"Still, it's a good idea for Yuzu to take her mind off of Yuya's condition," Sora said, "Besides, with the way she's feeling, I don't think she'd be able to tell everyone else about it."

"What do you mean?" Gongenzaka asked.

"Someone has to tell Yuya's mom and friends about what happened, and I volunteered to be the one to tell the bad news. What about you?"

Gongenzaka closed his eyes. "I, the man Gongenzaka, desire to help Yuya, but I fear that I will not find the right words to aid him, nor do I think he'll let me."

"I don't think he'll be feeling better anytime soon, but I've talked with Reiji and he's allowed me to visit Yuya," Yuto replied.

"I'm sorry, but I don't believe we've met. Could you be Yuto?"

"Yes. I've been sharing a body with Yuya ever since..." he trailed off and looked at Yugo awkwardly, who looked away nervously and guiltily, "he beat me in a duel. Because we were once all Zarc, and I've already seen Yuya's new form, I think I might be able to keep his spirits up, at the very least."

"In that case, I will go with you, Sora." Standing up, he and Sora left, leaving Yuto, Yugo and Sawatari alone in silence.

"So, um... Sorry about that whole 'causing you to merge with Yuya' thing."

"It's fine. We... weren't exactly in the right state of mind. Literally."

"Says you! You almost stabbed me with a spear, remember!?" And with Sawatari's loud reminder of his Duel with Yuto, the three left.

* * *

 **If you're wondering why I had Kaito, Edo and Jack leave, it's because I feel like they wouldn't provide much in the context of this story.**

 **Although Arc-V is just about to end, I have no intention to stop writing stories for it. In fact, apart from one potential one or two-shot that will only serve as practice for my writing, I have no plans to write for VRAINS when it comes out, so I hope you'll check periodically and find something that strikes your fancy.**

 **Besides, as some of you may know, I still have a big story I want to write...**

 **Reviews, constructive criticism and identifying my spelling/writing errors are all welcome and appreciated.**

 **-Writertainer**


	5. Cheering up

**IT'S BACK!**

 **Sorry for the long wait, but Prison of Scales is back! Now that it's summer break, I will have more time to update and post stories.**

 **With that out of the way, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V, its characters or the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG/OCG. This story is non-profit.**

* * *

As it turns out, the spending girl time with her counterparts hadn't been a bad idea.

Yuzu hadn't been in the mood to do anything at first, she barely paid attention to anything the other girls were doing and hardly said anything when she was being addressed. That started to change when they entered a clothing store at Rin's request. While Rin was busy finding and trying different styles of clothes, nothing expensive or luxurious, Ruri happened to find a nice white summer dress with floral patterns and asked her to try it. She reluctantly agreed, if only to get things over with, but when she saw the reactions of the other girls, and seeing her own reflection in the mirror, she found that the dress did look great on her and decided to buy it.

As the day went on, Yuzu began enjoying herself more and more, and actually offered a few places they could go to, like an arcade for instance. Currently, the four of them were outside of an ice cream shop, taking a break from carrying their purchases, as well as the many prizes Serena won.

"Did you see the look on that guy's face after Serena demolished him on DDR?" Rin asked.

"I know! It was priceless! Serena, how are you so good at dancing?" Ruri asked her.

"I had to find some ways to occupy myself back at Academia, but really, it wasn't hard," Serena proudly said, "If that guy spent as much time dancing as he did talking, maybe I would have had to actually try."

They continued conversing like this, all four of them learning about each other. By the time they finished their ice cream, the subject turned back to Yuzu.

"So, how are you feeling?" Serena asked Yuzu.

"I feel much better," she answered, "Thank you guys."

"Don't mention it. We're just glad you're okay."

"It's just... it hurts, you know. I wanted to see Yuya again for so long, and now that this whole war is behind us, he's the one who doesn't want to see me. Now that I've calmed down, I can sort of understand why, but it doesn't make it any less painful."

"Don't worry, it will all turn out to be fine," Ruri reassured her.

"Yeah..." Suddenly, Yuzu laughed softly. "It's kind of ironic. Usually, I'm the one who has to encourage and cheer up Yuya, but now I'm the one who needs to be reminded to smile."

"That's kind of funny actually," Serena replied. Then, with a knowing and cocky smirk, she asked, "So, are you going to confess your love the next time you see him?"

Any emotion she may and had been feeling had all been swiftly replaced by overwhelming embarrassment, her entire face heating up at what she just heard. "WH-SERENA! DON'T JUST-"

"Wait, you aren't dating Yuya? I thought he was your boyfriend," Ruri interrupted.

"WHY WOULD YOU THINK HE'S MY BOYFRIEND!?"

"Well, you obviously care very much about him, for one. Also, I thought that Serena was the odd one out. I mean, Yuto's my boyfriend and Yugo is Rin's, so-"

"W-W-WAIT A MINUTE! THERE'S NOTHING GOING ON BETWEEN ME AND YUGO!" Rin yelled as she, too, turned red at Ruri's words.

"But you guys looked so happy to see eachother!"

"I'm shocked too," Serena said, "I mean, when he confused me with you before our Duel in the Friendship Cup, he was so happy and kept trying to hug me."

' _That does sound like something Yugo would do...'_ Yuzu thought.

"HE TRIED TO HUG YOU!?" Rin, now standing with her hands on the table, yelled at Serena angrily, whose face remained unflinching.

"Are you sure he's not your boyfriend?" Said girl replied.

Rin simply replied with an irritated "AGHHH!" before sitting back down, her hands covering her beet red face.

Girl time hadn't been a bad idea at all.

* * *

When Sora told Yoko what happened with Yuya, he expected her to have one of many different reactions.

He expected her to cry at the fact that her son was no longer what one would call a human. He expected her to go into shock and denial about her son's actions as a Duelist called Zarc from a time where all dimensions were one, and that he wasn't her biological son. He was even prepared for her to yell at him that this was all his fault, that Yuya would still be here if he hadn't went and involved them all into what she would probably call a "pointless war."

What Sora didn't know, was that Yuya's mother was once the leader of a Dueling Gang, and a real rebel, so he didn't expect her to just launch herself out of the sofa and towards the front door with determination on her face.

"GONGENZAKA! LET ME PASS!" she ordered.

"Miss Yoko, please listen for a moment!" the giant pleaded. Somehow, he was struggling to keep to blonde woman inside of the house. In fact, Sora thought she was actually dragging him along slowly.

"I WON'T! MY SON NEEDS ME!"

"Miss Yoko, I understand your desire to help Yuya, but even if you went to Leo Corporation, you would be unable to help him!"

"THEN WHAT SHOULD I DO!? STAY PUT AS YUYA STRUGGLES ALONE, WITH NO ONE THERE TO GIVE HIM STRENGTH!?" With that, Yoko redoubled her efforts towards her motorcycle.

While he sympathised with the older woman, Sora knew that there wasn't anything they could do. None of them had any idea what Yuya was going through, nor could they possibly imagine how depressed he could be feeling. It's not like they could just give him a piece of candy to eat and tell him that everything would be fine...

A piece of candy to eat...

Food...

"I GOT IT!"

Sora's loud outburst startled the two Duelists, halting Yoko in her tracks. "What do you mean, Sora?" Gongenzaka asked.

"It's true that Yuya must be feeling really awful, and it's true that we can't help him directly, but I know how we can help him WITHOUT being next to him."

"Really? How?" Yoko asked with great interest.

Sora gestured her to bend down so he could whisper his idea in her ear. Yoko's eyes widened and a smile spread across her face as she stood back up and said, "Sora, you're a genius," before running back inside the house.

"What did you say?"

Sora just smiled and took out a piece of candy from his coat, feeling very proud of himself.

* * *

Yuya had returned to his room after the initial analysis Reiji conducted on him to find a tray of food waiting for him.

As he picked up the silverware, the fork bent around his draconic fingers, and the shock of the metal bending caused him to apply to much pressure to the fork, breaking it with no resistance.

That nearly broke him. Even eating was difficult for him now! But before more tears could flow from him, he heard a knock on the door.

"Mr. Sakaki," it was Nakajima, talking through the speaker, "there's something for you. From your mother."

' _Mom?'_ he wondered. "Come in."

The assistant opened the door and gave him a small, round bag. "Thank you."

"If you'll excuse me," Sakajima took the tray of food and left.

' _Did he notice the broken silverware?'_

Yuya opened the bag and gasped, now knowing why he had taken the food back with him.

Inside the bag were his mom's pancakes and a note that said "Don't give up!" signed by her.

' _Mom...'_ Tears again fell from Yuya's face, but this time, they were of happiness, evident by the smile that now graced his features.

He took a bite and savored the feeling for as long as he could before swallowing. "So good..."

They were even better than he remembered.

* * *

 **Here's some advice, if a story is nothing but angst, chances are your readers will feel oppressed, so it's a good idea to put in fluff to counterbalance it. Unless it's a short-ish one-shot, or a collection of one-shots all with the same premise, in which case, it's not necessary, since it's essentially a moment, not an overarching story.**

 **So I gave made this chapter fluffy! And more fluff is yet to come.**

 **Reviews, constructive criticism and identifying my spelling/writing errors are all welcome and appreciated.**

 **-Writertainer**


	6. Progress and Problems

**Welcome back to Prison of Scales.**

 **Sorry if this chapter jumps through days a lot, but to tell you the truth, I hadn't intended to make the story this long. Ideas just kept popping up in my head as I wrote it, so I just had to add them.**

 **Also, sorry for taking so long to post it, but I do have some good news. I've made some good progress on the next chapter and will probably be able to post it in a week's time, so look forward to that.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V, its characters or the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG/OCG. This story is non-profit.**

* * *

Reiji was currently in his office looking at the information he obtained from the initial scan of Yuya's body. So far, it showed nothing that he could clue him on the creation of a cure.

Yuya's body was transformed due to him merging with his fragments and resurrecting Zarc, and Supreme King Dragon Zarc's body was made from Real Solid Vision. Theoretically, it would stand to reason that Yuya's body should be made from Real Solid Vision as well. And while that hypothesis had indeed been proven true, there was something that Reiji still could not understand. How was Real Solid Vision able to maintain itself outside of its system?

Reiji was a man of science. Magic, to him, was nothing but an illusion, a fairy tale, a myth. But he remembered when Zarc had been fully resurrected, how Astrograph Magician appeared and united the four dragons and Yuya into one being. There were no scientific explanations for what he had witnessed. It could only have been magic, which led to his current dilemma...

How was Reiji supposed to find a solution to Yuya's condition, when the cause was something he had no understanding off, and no way of analyzing?

"Big brother?"

He was brought out of his thoughts by Reira.

"What is it, Reira?"

Nervously, Reira said, "Do... Do you think there's really a way to turn Yuya's body back to normal?"

The older Akaba decided that it was best to answer honestly. "I do not know." He pushed back his glasses. "To be completely honest with you, despite experiencing it all, I'm still having difficulty in believing everything that I have learned in the last few hours. Zarc, Ray, Duel Monsters having souls... Nevertheless, I will find a way to restore Yuya's original body."

Closing his eyes, he then whispered to himself, "It's the least I can do to pay him back..."

Before Reira could question what his brother meant, Reiji reopened his eyes and asked, "By the way, Reira, do you still have the four En cards?"

Reira shook his head. "I'm sorry, big brother, but they've disappeared along with Ray."

"It's fine. I was merely hoping to study them." The CEO got up from his chair and was about to head out the door before he stopped.

"I promise I will help you, Yuya," he said, not loud enough for Reira to hear.

With that, he left his office and went back to work.

* * *

Yuto left Yuya's room and into the empty corridors were Shun was waiting for him.

"Still no luck?" the taller man asked.

"Unfortunately," Yuto replied, the two of them heading in the direction of the elevators.

It had been three days since Yuya holed himself up in the VIP room. Three days of attempts of Yuto trying to cheer him up. Three days of failures. While the pancakes he had received on the day of his isolation did cheer him up a little, it did not last long. Yuto had quickly learned of the difficulties his Standard counterpart had to put up with in his new, grotesque body. Bent silver ware, shredded clothes and blankets, broken vases from his wings accidentally knocking them over, which is why his room was now devoid of any fragile furniture, and according to Yuya himself, muscle pain all over his body from being unable to sleep properly.

As they entered the elevator, Shun asked, "Why don't you bring Ruri with you next time? She's always been good at cheering people up. Just look at Yuzu."

"I would if I could, but I promised Yuya that I'd be the only one allowed to visit him," Yuto replied.

"Well if you can't bring her with you, you could at least ask her for some pointers."

"I will now that Yuzu's okay." The elevator ride continued in silence for a few moments. "Say, why have you been accompanying me, Shun? I thought you'd go back to Heartland to help with the reconstruction efforts?"

"I feel indebted to him," the taller man replied.

"Really? Why?"

Shun took a moment to gather his thoughts. "Right now, Edo is helping Reiji find a way to bring back people that have been turned into cards, but he's only on our side because Yuya was able to convince him that Dueling shouldn't be used as a tool of war. If he hadn't, we might still be fighting the remnants of the occupation force back home."

"So you feel indebted to him," Yuto asked, "because we no longer have to fight and can go back to a normal life?"

His best friend nodded in confirmation. "It was Yuya who put a stop to the hostilities back home, so if there's any way I can repay him, I will."

"Shun..." Yuto was surprised, but happy at his friend's reasons. He really had changed.

"Also, I'm looking for a legitimate excuse to punch you back for that one time."

And thus, the moment was ruined.

* * *

It had five days now since Yuya's self-imposed isolation, and Reiji's work wasn't getting easier. Not only did he have to continue his research on finding a cure for Yuya, he also had to handle reports from people he sent to Heartland to help with rebuilding the war-torn city, and the reports from Edo regarding his search for a way to bring back the people turned into cards.

In order to effectively work on all these tasks, Reiji had to change his schedule, cancel meetings, and sometimes spend the day in his office. Sometimes, it meant that he had to lose a few hours of sleep. His brother and mother were getting worried that he was pushing himself too far, but he assured them he was fine.

In any case, the CEO was currently trying to remember something. He could not help but feel like he had forgotten something that could potentially help him in his research.

"Sir!"

Before he could continue to contemplate on the matter, however, Reiji was startled from his thoughts by Nakajima.

"Nakajima. Forgive me, I failed to notice you come in," he said.

"If that's the case, sir, then with all due respects, I believe you should take a break."

"Your concern is noted, but that will be unnecessary."

"But sir-"

"Listen, I understand your concern, but I assure you, I am perfectly fine. I have had harder projects than this before. For instance, when we tried to create Pendulum cards..."

 _Pendulum..._

That was it! That was what he had forgotten!

"I need to ask something of Yuya."

Reiji left his office and headed in the direction of his guest's room, with Nakajima following behind.

' _I can't believe it slipped my mind until now,'_ the CEO thought, _'Pendulum Summoning and the En Cards both use the same energy. As a matter of fact, it is due to the En Cards that Pendulum Summoning was born. Meaning...'_

Reiji arrived at the VIP room shortly thereafter, spotting Shun a few feet away, and knocked three times to alert the guest inside of his arrival.

Yuto was the one who opened the door and told Yuya that it was Reiji, who then came out of the other room.

"Hey, Reiji..." Yuya greeted unenthusiastically.

"Good afternoon, Yuya," Reiji greeted back closing the door behind him.

"Why did you come here?" Yuto asked the CEO, "Did you make progress on a cure?"

"That depends on your definition of progress," he answered, "While we are no closer to finding a remedy for Yuya's situation at the moment, I have a hypothesis that may change that," Reiji turned to look at Yuya. "But before I can develop on that, I need Yuya's permission."

"If it's going to help me, then I have no problems. You should know that," Yuya said slightly annoyed.

"Under normal circumstances, yes, I would not ask for your approval. However, in this particular case, I did not wish to go against your wishes." Before Yuya could question what he meant, Reiji stated his request, "May I borrow your Pendulum?"

"My Pendulum?"

The taller boy nodded. "When we found you back in the Fusion Dimension, you said that you wanted Yuzu to have your Pendulum. I could have asked it from her directly, but I wanted to be certain that you did not mind."

"I see, but why do you need it?" Yuya asked.

"The Pendulum Summon was born when Ray used the four En Cards to split Zarc and the original world. Then, Zarc awakened it during your Duel with Strong Ishijima. Your Pendulum is, by extension, a crystallized form of that very same power. If I can study it, I may be able to find a way to harness that power into restoring your original body."

After hearing the explanation, Yuya simply stood in silence and wondered. Reiji's theory made sense, and it may be his only hope of returning to a normal life. Additionally, he had heard from Yuto that Yuzu was feeling a lot more cheerful thanks to the efforts of her counterparts. If she was okay with it, he had no reason to object.

As he was about to give his answer to Reiji, however, he noticed that the CEO was holding his head with one hand.

"Hey, are you okay?" Yuya asked.

"I'm fine, thank you. Just a momentary-" Reiji never finished as he collapsed. Yuto's quick reflexes kicked in as he caught Reiji before he could hit the floor.

"Reiji!" Yuya said aloud. Loud enough for those outside of the VIP room to hear.

The door was swung open by Nakajima. One look at his boss and he went to his side. "What happened!?" he asked, worry evident in his voice.

"He was just talking then suddenly collapsed!" Yuto answered.

"I knew President Akaba was overworking himself!"

Yuya froze upon hearing that. Reiji had been overworking himself. Reiji, the man who had to become CEO of the biggest corporation in the world at a young age, had overworked himself in finding a cure for his condition.

Reiji collapsed because of _him_.

It was _his fault_.

"No..."

Yuya collapsed himself into a fetal position and began crying, murmuring words like "he collapsed because of me" and "it's my fault" over and over.

Yuto, who had left the unconscious president with his right-hand man, was shaking Yuya to trying to get him out of his trance, but to no avail. Shun, who had entered the room after Nakajima, simply said Yuto's name and looked at him.

Turning back at his best friend and looking at him, he understood the silent message the taller boy was giving him. He turned back to Yuya one last time.

"Sorry, Yuya."

Of course, his standard counterpart didn't, or couldn't, hear him.

With that, he got up and rushed towards the elevator with Shun. As for why he apologized to Yuya...

It's because he was about to break a promise.

* * *

 **Sorry if this chapter wasn't as good as the others, and I honestly think it isn't, but I really wanted to get to the next part.**

 **You'll see why when I release it... but I'm sure you guys can guess what it is.**

 **Reviews, constructive criticism and identifying my spelling/writing errors are all welcome and appreciated.**

 **-Writertainer**


	7. Together

**Chapter 7 is here, and with it, the biggest reason I made this entire story.**

 **Even though I actually started the chapter in advance before posting the previous one, writer's block decided to happen, and I wasn't able to make progress. This, coupled with real life issues, prevented me from working on this, or being motivated to write anything. In light of this fact, I won't make any promises about the next chapter, but I will promise this: I will finish this story.**

 **Writing this chapter was still really enjoyable though. It just made me feel good inside. As such, I truly hope you will enjoy it.**

 **So I'm not going to keep you waiting any longer! ... Then I already have.**

 **Also, merry Zarcmas everybody!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V, its characters or the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG/OCG. This story is non-profit.**

* * *

Yuzu was currently alone at home doing her homework. After a tearful hug with her father, she explained everything that had happened to him. Upon hearing this, Shuzo had given her the option to skip school a couple of days, stating that he would talk with her teachers. She declined, stating that thanks to her friends, she was feeling more motivated.

This led to her introducing her counterparts to her father, who reacted as one would expect him to.

However, he was knocked out cold before he could even finish his attempted hug.

Occasionally, she would find herself experiencing feelings of sadness or longing, but she would always find a way to subdue them, alone or with the help of her friends.

As she finished the last of her math homework, the doorbell rang and she heard knocking at the door. She got up and said "Coming!" while heading towards the door. Opening it, she was surprised to see Yuto and Shun.

"Yuto? What are you doing here?" she asked, "Aren't you supposed to be with Yuya?" Only after noticing the worried and troubled expression on Yuto's face did she start to feel something was very wrong. Worry started to grow within her with each passing second. "Did something happen?"

"You need to go see Yuya."

Yuzu was startled by Yuto's request- his demand- as well as his tone that masked a hint of urgency. "What?" the words slipped past her lips before she could process them.

"Reiji just collapsed from overwork and lack of sleep. Yuya's blaming himself and now he keeps berating himself and won't hear anything I say! You have to help him!" Yuto said, barely pausing between his sentences, his voice carrying his growing feelings of distress.

While hearing about Reiji collapsing was a shock, learning that her childhood friend was shutting himself off even more, that he suffering was suffering even more, broke her heart. Yet despite the desire within her to go to his side, to comfort him, to make him smile, she was held back by a single thought.

 _He doesn't want to see her._

Before she could even voice out her worries, however, Yuto continued, "Please Yuzu, he needs your help, he needs you next to him!"

His words took her by surprise. "What do you mean?" she asked, "I thought you said he didn't want visitors?"

"I did, but that doesn't matter anymore!" he replied immediately, "It's been one week and things still haven't gotten any better. In fact, the only times that I've seen him smile since then is when we talked about you!" Yuzu's eyes widened when she heard those words. She was feeling so many conflicting emotions at the moment.

Taking a deep breath to compose himself, Yuto began talking about what his days with Yuya consisted off.

"I've visited him every day ever since he shut himself off and every time the first thing he asked me was about you. How you were doing, how you were feeling, no matter what we talked about, the only time I have seen him genuinely happy was when he talked or heard about you, whether it was how your day went, or times when the two of you were younger. Sure, he mentioned his other friends at times, but for the most part, it was only _you_. He misses you, and I don't think he's realised it yet, but he wants to see you. I'm sure of it."

Silence fell upon the room at the end of Yuto's speech. Yuzu, who had been struggling with so many emotions for the last seven days, was now feeling a new one filling her heart, one that she had not felt in a long time. During Yuto's speech, the worry and sadness that grown within her had been replaced by joy, joy of knowing that Yuya did miss her, that he wanted to see her just as much as she wanted to see him. But joy was not what she was feeling at the moment.

Right now, she was determined.

No longer plagued by doubt, she looked at Yuto straight in the eyes and said,

"On which floor is he, and what's his room number?"

* * *

Yuya sat in silence in the middle of his room, harbouring nothing but feelings of despair.

He allowed the silence of the room to wash over him, welcoming the feelings of emptiness. It let him feel as though he were invisible to the world, like he didn't exist. It dulled his pain, made it seem like an illusion.

Thus he remained still and silent, allowed the feeling of nothingness to envelop him.

Until he heard someone loudly knock on the door-

"YUYA!"

-and heard _her_ voice. The voice of the person he has both longed and dreaded to hear.

Yuya began to panic. She wasn't supposed to be here.

"Yuzu? What are you doing here?" he instinctively asked.

"I'm here to help you, whether you want to or not!" she answered, "Now, open the door!"

"What!? No!" Yuya's fears worsened, his mind kept repeating so many scenarios of how Yuzu would react to seeing the monster he had become, her face frozen in horror, before running in fear of him. "No, you can't come in here!"

"I can and I will! Now open this door before I let myself in!" Yuzu wasn't lying. Yuto had given her his access card, but she wanted to give Yuya a chance to open the door himself. Hearing no response from her ultimatum, she took the key car and prepared to unlock the door. "I'm coming in!" she warned him.

Yuya's heart was thundering against his chest at her declaration. She was going to see him. She was going to be scared of him and his grotesque form.

He heard the electronic lock disengage.

Yuzu grabbed hold of the door knob, took a deep breath, and swiftly opened the door...

Time seemed to stop as the gazed upon the other, both overcome with intense emotions. For Yuya, it was horror, horror that the one person who shouldn't have seen him did. He wanted to run and hide, but his body refused to move. All he could do was close his eyes and look away, refusing to see her run away from him and his disgusting form, to see his fears become reality.

For Yuzu, it had been shock. She had mentally prepared herself for this moment, but seeing her friend since childhood turned into a bizarre hybrid of a human and a dragon was nevertheless a frightening sight. Her body wanted to run away from him in fear, but she willed herself to stay put. Simply seeing the look of terror in Yuya's eyes was enough to give her the strength of going against her instincts. As she saw him look away, she took a step closer, then another, and another...

Until she was close enough to gently bring him into an embrace.

The sensation of his scaled skin against her arms was not what she would call pleasant, yet she did not even flinch at the contact, nor did she pull away. She was right where she wanted to be, after all. She was with him, with Yuya.

Finally, she was with him again.

In contrast, when Yuya felt Yuzu's soft, delicate fingers touch him, his entire body jerked in shock. He didn't understand what was going on, Yuzu hadn't run away? She was hugging him? He couldn't believe it. Maybe it was just a dream, a moment of respite before he was brought back to cruel reality, but then...

"It's alright."

He heard her voice. Her sweet, soothing voice.

"It's alright, Yuya."

She was here. She didn't run away. She wasn't afraid of him, of his appearance, like he was afraid of for almost a week now.

"I'm here."

Yuzu was here.

Yuya broke into tears and returned the hug, careful of his strength so he did not hurt her, murmuring her name. Words of apologies, for hiding from her, spilt from his lips with almost no interruption. Yuzu didn't say anything, only burying her head into his chest. She, too, was crying, but of joy. She was happy to have him in her arms as she was in his, to hear his heartbeat through his thick scales.

For the first time in almost a week, they felt like they were truly back home.

They stayed like this for a few minutes, enjoying the feeling of each other in silence.

"Yuzu, I missed you so much," Yuya said, breaking the silence.

"I missed you too, Yuya," Yuzu answered him, "And I'm so happy to see you again."

"Even if I look like this, like a monster?"

"You're not a monster, Yuya, and never will be." She pulled away to look into his eyes. "You're taller than me now."

He smiled and chuckled a bit at the comment, "I guess I am."

She smiled back, "I love it when you smile."

Were he still with his human body, Yuya would have blushed at the comment. "And you look pretty when you smile."

Yuzu, however, did have a human body, and thus could not stop her own blush.

Once more, silence fell on the two of them, both content with simply feeling the others presence. Inside of him, Yuya could feel all the sadness and fear rapidly fading away to be replaced by so much happiness that he almost felt suffocated by it, pushing him to do something, anything, to calm it down.

"Yuzu?" Yuya asked, silently.

"Yes, Yuya?"

"Can I kiss you?" he asked nervously.

With a smile, she answered, "Of course you can."

Both of them closed the distance between their lips, shutting their eyes as they shared a chaste kiss, one that would surely be the first of many. The roughness of Yuya's lips did not bother Yuzu, nor did it dim the warmth that enveloped her body. She just brought her hands to his cheeks and kept on kissing him, hoping to convey all the love she held.

When they pulled away and opened their eyes, the first thing they saw would be the other's eyes, shining with love and affection.

"I love you, Yuzu."

"I know, and I love you too, Yuya."

* * *

 **Sweet, sweet (Dragon)Fruitshipping.**

 **I have wanted and waited to write this chapter for so long, and I think I did a pretty good job. Next chapter continues the fluff.**

 **Also, if you guys are interested, the Arc-V Zine is now available for purchase. You have until January 4** **th** **to make your order. More information at the Tumblr: arcvzine.**

 **Reviews, constructive criticism and identifying my spelling/writing errors are all welcome and appreciated.**

 **-Writertainer**


	8. Healing

**Writertainer here with Chapter 8 of Prison of Scales!**

 **Sorry for taking way too long. Not going to make any excuses, as I said before.**

 **More importantly, I am really proud of this chapter, as it finally brings the 'Comfort' in the 'Hurt/Comfort' tag, which I'm sure many of you have been waiting for.**

 **Without any further delay, ENJOY!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V, its characters or the Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG/OCG. This story is non-profit.**

* * *

 _Darkness._

 _Everywhere Yuya looked, he saw only darkness. Shades of purple and black surrounded him, stretching out in the horizon as far as his eyes could see. Occasionally, brief glimpses of destruction, of ruined buildings and rising smoke, would appear in front of him. Though they lasted for only a moment, his breathing would quicken every time he witnessed one._

 _But nothing was worse than the voices._

" _ **Why?**_ _"_

 _They judged him-_

" _ **You monster..."**_

 _Blamed him-_

" _ **This is your fault!"**_

 _Accused him-_

" _ **Why would you do this!?"**_

 _And taunted him._

" _ **You got what you deserved! Now your body is as twisted as your heart!"**_

 _Dropping to his knees and clutching his head, Yuya tried his best to ignore the voices, to silence them, yet they only seemed to grow louder._

" _Stop," he pleaded, "please stop, I-I didn't mean- I didn't," he sobbed, "I'm not..."_

 _But no matter what he said or did, they wouldn't stop. The shadows seemed to morph, the purple and black melding together to make what resembled to be many distorted faces, all sporting the same twisted smiles, as though mocking him, laughing at him._

 _Yuya cried, praying for them to go away, but they never did. The voices had overlapped each other, all of them speaking at the same time, and though he could understand none of their words, the malice in them struck him nonetheless._

 _Suddenly, just as he was about to scream..._

" _You're not a monster..."_

 _A new, angelic voice rang out, silencing all others. Looking up, he saw a small, human-like light heading his way, banishing the shadows with every step it took. Yuya could not look away, captivated at the otherworldly figure. It felt familiar, warm, welcoming, accepting._

 _As the light reached Yuya, it enveloped the dragon-skinned boy in its tender arms, surrounding him with a warm, loving light._

" _It's okay," it said, "I'm here for you."_

 _Yuya felt light, as though he was floating, and his eyelids grew heavy. As his eyes started to close, he could swear that he saw a smile, one befitting of an angel, on the figures face._

 _Before his eyes were fully shut, a name escaped his lips._

" _Yuzu..."_

* * *

Yuya woke up refreshed for the first time in weeks from the first peaceful sleep he had in a long time. Confused, he stood up from the bed, and took a look at himself in the mirror.

He still looked like an anthropomorphic dragon, and yet, somehow, the sight did not bother him as much as it should. Even more strangely, he felt hopeful that things would work out, but he didn't know why. It was as he pondered why that his nose took notice of a most wonderful fragrance.

As he opened the door to the living room, he was greeted with the sight of Yuzu sitting on the sofa, food covering the table in front of it. For a second, he was confused, and a sudden surge of panic flared within him. Why was Yuzu here!? She shouldn't be! But just as soon as those thoughts came, memories of the day prior surfaced. Memories of Yuzu barging into his room, him freezing up in terror, awaiting the moment where she would run screaming, only for her to come closer and hug him, accept him, despite his current situation.

Upon hearing the door opening, the teenage girl, looked up, her deep blue-eyes meeting his stunning red ones, and gave him a smile that melted his heart

"Good morning, Yuya."

He returned the smile and responded, "Good morning, Yuzu," walking over as he took a seat next to her. Their hands, as though they were magnets, instinctively reached out to gently hold the other. The two remained still, content at simply looking into each other's eyes, smiles on their faces, hoping to convey how they felt without words.

And that's when the two of them remembered something else about the previous day, their confession.

The thought alone was enough to get Yuzu all red in the face and for her smile to shift from a loving one to an embarrassed one, and although his body was now covered in dark scales, if one where to look closely, they could see a slight tint of red on Yuya's cheeks, who had the same embarrassed smile as Yuzu.

Both of them suddenly felt very awkward, having no idea what to say as they started shifting a bit as the two found it much harder to maintain eye-contact.

Looking back on it, Yuya realized that simply asking Yuzu if he could kiss her was rather tactless, but after living in near solitude, his darker feelings his only constant companion, the sudden comfort had lowered his inhibitions and caused him to act on impulse. It's not like he regretted it or anything, but now he had no idea how to follow up on that.

Yuzu, in her case, was wondering where her courage from yesterday went. When she had agreed to go see Yuya against his will, she hadn't imagined that the situation would turn out like this. She certainly hadn't expected for Yuya to ask to kiss her out of the blue and for her to accept without hesitation.

The awkward silence was cut short, however, when the two of them heard the sound of Yuya's belly growling.

It felt as though a knife cut through the tension in the room, as seconds later, the two of them started to laugh at the timing of what had occurred.

"Let's eat before it gets cold," Yuzu said, wiping a stray tear from her eye.

"Yes, let's," Yuya agreed. Both of them then put their palms together and said, "Have a nice meal!" before digging in.

Once the two had finished their breakfast, they returned to simply sitting in silence. There was no awkwardness between them as they basked in each other's warmth, Yuzu laying her head on the front of Yuya's right shoulder.

"Thank you, Yuzu," Yuya said.

"For what?" Yuzu replied.

"For coming when I needed you most," he answered, and then dropped his head a little as he continued with a sad expression, "And... I'm sorry that I shut myself away from you."

Yuzu looked up at him upon hearing his words. She understood in theory the reason he did it, but the emotional part of her never could accept it until she heard his apology.

She had seen the way he moved this morning. Every motion he performed had been deliberate, practiced and she could tell from his slow touches that he was holding back. He knew his decision had been a mostly selfish one, but now she could see that it was not unfounded. Even though it was only for a moment, she had been scared by his appearance, and if he had caused her harm, even unintentionally... She could not deny the fact that she may have started acting frightened around him.

"I won't lie," she started, "I was hurt when I learned about your decision. I thought you didn't trust us- trust _me_. But I know you, I know that you hate being hurt and hurting people, and the way you are now"-she paused for a moment to collect herself-"I can't even imagine how afraid you were all this time, with hardly anyone to keep you company, and after everything that happened... You don't deserve this Yuya."

"Yuzu..." Once more, the two found themselves lost in the other's eyes.

"I've already forgiven you Yuya"- she got closer to his face-"and I'm not going to let you suffer alone anymore," their lips where now inches away from touching, "because I love you with all my heart and soul."

"I love you too, Yuzu. I love you so much."

The two shared their second kiss, just as gentle and full of love as the first. Both shed a single tear as the pain they had harboured rapidly disappeared from them. Now all that they felt was the love they had for each other.

As they pulled away, Yuzu began to giggle a bit. It was infectious as Yuya also started to giggle.

"What is it?" he asked.

"That was way better than the previous one," she answered with a slight blush.

"Yeah, it was," he responded nervously.

"I mean, who asks if they can kiss someone before admitting their love to them?" she teased.

"Hey, give me a break!" he shot back playfully, "I was so happy at the time that I could barely hold myself back! I wanted to kiss you on the spot, be thankful that I at least asked!"

"Wow, such a gentleman," she finished with a giggle, Yuya responding with a playful pout that lasted for only a second. Yuzu looked at the clock on the room, and noticed that it was almost time for her to leave if she didn't want to be late for school. "Hey, I have to leave soon."

"Oh..." Yuya was sad that she had to leave so soon, "Will you come back?"

"Of course I will, silly," she answered with a smile, "I'll come back to visit you every day, we have so much time to catch up on."

"You promise?"

In lieu of words, Yuzu answered with another kiss.

* * *

 **This chapter was harder to write than expected, but ultimately, I feel very satisfied with this chapter.**

 **Also, I knew I was a romance sap, but I didn't think I was that much of one.**

 **Reviews, constructive criticism and identifying my spelling/writing errors are all welcome and appreciated.**

 **-Writertainer**


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